Illumination systems selectively transmit a region or field of illumination that may be used for a variety of purposes. The illuminated region may be used to provide various forms of light to assist a user in performing visual tasks and/or designating a location for others. For example, a headlamp is an illumination system which is commonly coupled to a user's head and is used to illuminate a region in alignment with the orientation of the user's head. Likewise, a flashlight is a handheld illumination system which illuminates a region in alignment with the user's hand. Both headlamps and flashlights are sized and configured to be portable to allow users to conveniently bring them to a variety of locations.
Electrical based illumination systems include some form of user-based switching system to enable selective user activation. In general, a switching system includes selectively coupling an optical output device with an electrical power source. A switching system includes both a mechanical switching mechanism and an algorithm. Various well known forms/styles of mechanical switching mechanisms may be used including slider, pushbutton, rotation, etc. The algorithm of the switching system correlates particular physical operations of the switching mechanism with particular electrical responses and/or outputs. For example, an algorithm may include correlating the relative rotational positioning of a rotational switching mechanism with the amount of current transmitted to the optical output device thereby affecting the intensity of the illumination output. The active capacity of an electrical-based illumination system is finite, and therefore it is necessary to only activate the illumination system during use. Portable illumination systems are often stored during periods of non-activation. For example, a non-active headlamp or flashlight may be positioned in a backpack or pocket for storage purposes.
One of the problems with conventional portable illumination systems is the incidence of inadvertent or undesirable activation. An undesirable activation may discharge the capacity of the illumination system such that upon subsequent user activation, the power source is exhausted. The cause of an undesirable activation corresponds to the switching system configuration and the nature of the location at which the system is stored. For example, an illumination system that includes a rotational type switching mechanism with a basic activation algorithm may be inadvertently activated as a result of frictional contact with other objects. However, an overly complex or physically sheltered switching mechanism and algorithm is also undesirable because it impedes a user from intuitively and efficiently activating the illumination system. Conventional portable illumination systems fail to include switching systems which are both efficient and provide minimal undesirable activation.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for systems and methods of operationally locking a portable illumination system.